In
the 33 years between the assassination
of Tsar
Alexander II in 1881 (known to posterity as a "great reformer")
and the outbreak of WW I, about one third of the east European Jews left
their homelands-a migration comparable in modern Jewish history only
to the flight from the Spanish
inquisition. (1492-1808)

The paths of migration were seldom direct. The departure from Russia,
Poland, Romania, and Austria-Hungary can be traced along four main routes:

Jews coming from the Ukraine and southern Russia would usually cross
the Austro-Hungarian border illegally, travel by train to Vienna or
Berlin, and regroup themselves for the journey to one of the major
ports of embarkation: Hamburg and Bremen in Germany, Rotterdam and
Amsterdam in Holland, and Antwerp in Belgium;

Jews emigrating from western or northwestern Russia would surreptitiously
cross the German border and proceed to Berlin and then the northern
ports;

Jews from the Austro-Hungarian empire would legally cross the German
border, journey to Berlin, and there join with the mass of Jews from
Russia to proceed to the ports;

Jews from Romania, whose mass migration first began in 1899, traveled
mostly through Vienna, Frankfurt am Main, and then the Holland ports,
though a few took the sea voyage from Trieste or Fiume.

Over twenty-three million immigrants came to America in the period 1880-1919.
For those Eastern European Jews who chose to escape the persecution of
their homeland and immigrate to America there was no turning back. In 1851,
only one immigrant from Russia was admitted to the United States. In 1890,
35,600 Russian immigrants arrived in the United States; and by 1907 over
259,000 Russian immigrants escaping the “Pale” came to the
United States to seek refuge from persecution and economic hardship. The
persecutions provided the impetus for mass emigration and political activism
among Russian Jews. More than two million of them fled Russia between 1880
and 1920.

The flight of the European Jewish immigrants was spurred not only by economic
exigencies but also by the systematic persecution of an antagonistic government.
They could not return to their homeland; few carried with them nostalgic
memories of a beloved mother country. John W. Foster, U.S. Ambassador to
St. Petersburg, compared the situation of the Jews in Russia to the barbarities
of the Dark Ages.

The manifest image contains additional clues not found in the
database that may help you determine a family connection. Look at who
the passenger was travelling with, what town they came from, where they
departed from and their final destination in the U.S., whether they had
been to America before. The job of interpreting possible clues or variations
in spelling is left to you - the individual researcher.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________July 21, 1906 (family sailing from Liverpool, July
14, 1906 to NY, Name of Ship: "The Etruria")

They departed to Germany from Novogrod. The manifest described Hirsh's
occupation as tailor. He paid for tickets himself and was not in possession
of any money upon arrival. He was "going to join a relative, L.
Lewin, 9th Street, New York." Aron became known as Arthur (father
of David and Leonard). On the exit papers "Chaje" started as "Maja" (then
Sonia at some point) and anglicized as Lillian as a young girl in Staten
Island. Stella began as "Stysia," then "Stise," and finally Stella.

Notation: individual volunteers read microfilm copies of the original
ship manifests and entered selected data fields into an electronic database.
During this process, every effort was made to preserve the historical
accuracy of the original document. Even in situations where a name appears
to have been written incorrectly on the original historic document -
the job of the volunteer was to preserve the integrity of the original,
not to use a modern-day interpretation in correcting it (which would
vary from one volunteer to another). A close examination of this
manifest image revealed the correct spelling for the wife to be "Stise," not "Lisle" as
the volunteer interpreted it.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________June 12, 1910 (departed May 24,
1910, port of departure Libau, "The Russia".
Libau refers the the German name for the town of Liepaja in present-day
Latvia)

Notations: Shows occupation as teacher, father is Jankel Pekurowsky,
from Choinyky, Minsk, place of birth for Sam; final destination to visit
Uncle L. Cohen, 550-552 Maxwell Street, Chicago, Illinois. The manifest
listed date of birth and age is not accurate. Sam was about 20 years
old at the time of entry. Using Sam's
original Certificate of Naturalization of 3/2/1922, I personally
examined his Petition for Naturalization, Certificate of Arrival, Declaration
of Intention, which contained a certificate from Ellis Island attesting
that he entered the U.S. on June 13, 1910 as well as his own attestations
to that date. These original documents are located at the Clerk of
the Circuit Court, Cook County Archives
Holdings, Daley Center, Chicago, room 1113.

At the time of his Declaration
of Intention of 1919 to become a citizen of the United States, Sam
Baker was 29 and worked as a Pharmacist, residing at 1300 S. Lawndale,
Chicago. He listed his date of birth as October 27, 1889. In
a life insurance document from 1945 he listed his date of birth as
October 29, 1890. He listed his physical appearance in the
the Declaration as dark complexion, 5 feet 6 inches, 145 pounds, black
hair, dark brown eyes. Sam's Petition for Naturalization, filed July
21, 1921 and Certificate of Naturalization granted on March 2, 1922,
showed his request and the court order changing his name from "Schevel
Leib Pekurowsky" to Samuel Leib Baker, then residing at 3636
Douglas Blvd. Chicago, Illinois. Max Meyerovitz, an attorney who was
Goldie Baker Meyerovitz's (Sam's new wife; her date of birth listed
at June 24, 1898) older brother, and Joseph Osman were witnesses
to the July filing. Joseph Osman was the husband of Lillie Meyerovitz,
Goldie's older sister. Sam resided in Illinois continuosly from September
15, 1913 to the time of filing for naturalization in 1921.

On March 2, 1922 Sam Baker became a USC and legally changed
his name from "Pekurowsky" to Baker. He had a
6-month old boy named Lester and we know that his pharmacy business was
beginning to prosper. 3 months later on June 23, 1922 he visited
Ellis Island NY to greet his father, Jacob or "Jankel" and
his younger brothers Sydney and Harry. From an
oral history tape recording Joel Baker supplied we know that Sam departed
NYC on the same day that he saw them for the first time in 14 years!
Why? To return to his wife, child and drug store. A loving son, brother,
husband and father, dedicated entrepreneur- all revealed on the same
day. Sam Baker left his 4 brothers a little money in his 1953 will: $100
to Nathan, Sidney, and Max, and $250 to Harry.

Notations: The manifest listed Max as a shoemaker; for name and address
of nearest relative in country "whence he came," the manifest
listed "Jankel Pekurowsky" (Jacob Moshe, his father who emigrated
later in 1922), town of Choniki. The manifest showed that Morduch was "Going
to visit his "Uncle L. Cohen, 550-552 Maxwell Street, Chicago, Ill." Louis
Cohen was the husband of Gertrude Baker, Jacob's younger sister. Gertrude
was the first Pekurowsky immigrant and settled in Chicago. Supplemental
information listed Max at 5' 5", light complexion, black hair, gray
eyes." We know that Max’s Yiddish name was Mordecai, and his
nickname was Mottel. From Chicago, Max
and Rebecca (his wife from Chicago)
went first to Rochester and then to Bronx in 1924. Then in ‘34
back to Chicago and the whole family followed in ‘35 for a job
change with the shoe company Florsheim.

Alex Baker (a/k/a Itzko Pekurowsky) sailed on the same ship as his
Aunt Raisel Robinov and his 4 cousins; "The Czar" departed
port Libau and arrived in NY on April 14, 1913. Notation on manifest
listed "Gadelia
Rabinow" as Raisel's husband-spelling her name on the manifest as "Reise
Racinow." 702 Bay Street, New York, New York. "Gdalis Rabinow" (Gadelia
Robinov) departed on the The Lituania from
the port of Libau and arrived in New York on
April 17, 1911, listed at 40 years old. Samuel
Robinov,
a/k/a "Simcha" on his passport, arrived in the U.S. in 1910.

Alex, who suffered from epilepsy, was a tailor. Sasha was his Russian
name. He listed his father "Sam Pekurowsky" as a relative living
in "Minsk gub." and that his declared final destination was
to visit his "brother Sam Bacer" (Chicago Sam Baker) who apparently
lived at "2105 Broadway, Gary, Indiana" at that time in April
1913. By 1922 Sam resided at 3636 Douglass Blvd. Chicago, about 35.4
miles northwest from his Indiana residence. Alex had $25 at the time
of arrival. Supplemental information listed Alex at 5' 5", dark
complexion, dark hair, brown eyes, Honiki Russia. "
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________August 26, 1913 (departed August 9, 1913, port of Departure,
Triest, to NY, "The
Alice")

Notations are somewhat confusing but confirm that this represents the
manifest for Nathan
Baker. It lists him by name on line 19 but the notation
on line 18 lists "Jackob Becker" as "cousin" and
that "Tznig" was 5 ' 10". We know that Nathan was the
tallest offspring of Jacob and Leah Esther and was certainly taller than
5' 5"; most of the Baker brothers were about 5' 5". He had
$50 at time of arrival. Listed as "farm labor." Nathan was
separated from his wife and children from 8/9/1913 to ca. 1/27/1923-
approximately 9 years 6 months.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________September 19, 1913 (departed Liverpool port on the "The
Lusitania",
September 13, 1913; Built for Cunard Line, British flag, in 1907 and
named Lusitania. Liverpool-New York service. Torpedoed and sunk off
the Irish coast; 1,198 lost in 1915.)

Notation: Going
to join Husband, 702 Bay Street, New York, where sister Raisel and G.
Robinov lived. Ida's husband Abraham
Passin arrived September 22,
1911 and changed his name after he arrived, but his two
brothers kept the name Persin.

Until about 1925 the spouse and minor children derived naturalization
from the petitioner, so Ida and the children (excluding Hilda) obtained
U.S. citizenship on January 18, 1923.

1922 Petition listed 8 children and wife Ida. Abraham Passin was born
Jan. 12, 1878 and resided at 1423 North Rockwell Street, Chicago. His
wife Ida was born Jan. 12, 1880.
Naturalization granted on January 18, 1923.

Notation: Simon Blumin is listed as Father, residing in Tompkinsville,
NY.
Simon was separated from his children from 9/13/1913 to 9/2/1922, nearly 9
years.
Isador and Ben listed as same age; Irving was a year older.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________January 27, 1923 (departed January 16, 1923 Antwerp port to NY, "The Kroonland")

Notation: Nathan Baker was separated from his wife and children from
8/9/1913 to ca. 1/27/1923- approximately 9 years 6 months.
For Nathan's first son Sam Baker, records show "Samuel Pekarowska" appeared
on the first manifest to be traveling with his Mom, Dina, and 4 siblings on
January 27, 1923 using the name Samuel Pekarowska, the ship was the Kroonland.
He was quarantined and crossed off this list. We know from Dorothy's
tape that her younger brother
Sam was quarantined and the ship manifest revealed that he was reunited with
his family in about 6 days.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________February 2, 1923 (departed January 23, 1923 Antwerp port to NY, "Manchuria")

Sam, Nathan's child, again appears on Feb. 2, 1923 manifest arrival
listing, as "Szmul- 11 years old" (ship Manchuria departing
Antwerp on January 23, 1923) using name Schmul Pekurowski. Thus, there
are 2 records for the child Sam Baker. His father is listed as "Natan
Beeker, Tompkinsville, NY."